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Article
Who's Responsible? Clients in a Stress Management Clinic
Qualitative Health Research
  • June S Lowenberg, University of Washington - Tacoma Campus
Publication Date
11-1-1997
Document Type
Article
Abstract

This article examines how responsibility for health is generated in a primary nursing care clinic for stress management. The methodological perspective was that of symbolic interaction and interpretive research. Eighteen clients were interviewed at various points during their treatment trajectory, along with seven clinicians. From the extensive discourse around personal choice, self-management, and individual responsibility, one would expect that providers might stigmatize clients and induce guilt and blame for either their physical problems or inability to manage their stress. The expert nurses in this clinic, however, continued to absolve clients, and clients did not experience any guilt, stigmatization, or judgmentalism within the clinic. By balancing theoretical concepts of learning and unconscious motivation with deep compassion, the nurse clinicians absolved these clients from blame while continuing to emphasize personal responsibility.

DOI
10.1177/104973239700700402
Publisher Policy
pre-print, post-print, no publisher's pdf
Citation Information
June S Lowenberg. "Who's Responsible? Clients in a Stress Management Clinic" Qualitative Health Research Vol. 7 Iss. 4 (1997) p. 448 - 467
Available at: http://works.bepress.com/june_lowenberg/2/